Dispatch From The Front Lines: Parisite Alleycat Recap

Yeah You Ride went on a desert retreat to Austin, TX, last weekend (more on that to come) and was forced to miss the Parisite Skatepark Alleycat Benefit. We are stoked to see more and more people putting on DIY races and are always down to help make them happen. Big ups to Ooti, Bike Shop Freret, Siberia and Humidity for making something happen. Although we could not get a piece of the action, a good friend of ours did. Here is what she had to say:

“Even though Parisite Skatepark is anything but ordinary, we didn’t know what to expect from a bike race hosted out of a skatepark. Nonetheless, we bit the bullet & went out to support. Editorial note: Doin’ it for the kids!

There wasn’t a massive crowd of people who entered the race – turnout was close to 20. However the regular skate park crew was huge. A really entertaining group of kids from all ages gathered on both BMX & board to ride the ramps at the park. While most of them don’t own road bikes they were still interested to know more about our bicycles & races in general. A great start to a short & fun race throughout the Bywater, French Quarter & CBD.

The alley cat wasn’t super competitive & felt more like a fun joyride than a race. Checkpoints didn’t have side challenges, so the race was mostly just riding from A to B. The most difficult thing about the race was the level of humidity in the air that afternoon. Adding a little more spice to the race was Gay Pride weekend, which was in full effect as we navigated through the Quarter & CBD to the different checkpoints. In summary, we’re happy we didn’t let the skate park scare us away – met some cool dudes & got to support Parasite skate park.”